Kathmandu Post

Anfa set to sign Rs 229.5m deal with +One

KATHMANDU, DEC 18 -
The All Nepal Football Association has got an offer it can’t refuse from American sports-wear company, +One.

The company has put forward a sponsorship deal worth US$ 450,000 annually for the national team for six years, which in the current exchange rate will amount to Rs 229.5 million, and will also be providing with two American coaches, one each for the national team and the association’s youth academy.

The football association revealed this at its 13th General Assembly on Tuesday. Speaking at the programme, Anfa President Ganesh Thapa said the deal with the sporting company will be made in the first week of February, while the hiring of the two coaches will be done in January. If everything goes as planned, the two coaches will be in town by January 10.

The football association is set to get further help from the company when the coaches arrive as Thapa has put forward a request to make the company pay 60 percent of the coaches’ salary. The football association is ready to bring in the coaches even if the company rejects the request.

“The company will provide all the kits to the players and if the players are found wearing anything besides the company’s product during the trainings and the matches, the company will fine us,” added Thapa, requesting the National Sports Council (NSC) to take care of the two coaches’ salary.

NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama, who was the chief guest at the assembly, reacted positively to Thapa’s request. “I will help Anfa in every way I can,” said Lama.

The two coaches, both of Polish origin, are pro licensed coaches. One of them will be taking care of the Nepali national side in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and the SAFF Championship 2013 to take place in Kathmandu next September, while the other will be looking after the academy.

Here too, + One, have made a lucrative offer to their countrymen. If the national team coach succeeds to qualify the team to final round of the AFC Challenge Cup in Male, the coach will be provided a bonus of $ 8,000 and if he succeeds in lifting the SAFF Championship, he will be richer by $ 10,000.

The AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and the SAFF Championship have been accorded the highest priority by the football association in this year’s plan. A host of friendly matches have been arranged before the qualifiers in March next year.

A two-match friendly series against Pakistan has been finalised for February 6 and February 9, while other friendlies are also on the cards. Nepal is in Group D with Palestine, Bangladesh and Northern Mariana Island in the qualifiers set to be held in Kathmandu.

“It has not been decided who the other countries for the matches will be, but we will play as many friendlies as we can before the qualifiers,” added Thapa.

Improvement of existing infrastructure and construction of new infrastructure were the other highlights of the assembly.

An artificial turf and the extension of the parapets at the Anfa Academy and construction and improvement of playing grounds in 10 hill districts are the things to look forward in the coming year.

Anfa said it hopes to run the existing programmes in calendar in a better and improved way.

For this, the association has approved an estimated budget of Rs 13.70 million for the year ahead and passed last year’s budget of Rs 14.46 million.